Marble pool and billiards.



H. BEEBBE. MARBLE POOL AND BILLIARDS. APPLIUATION FILED Arma, 1911.

Patented Aug. 29, 1911.

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HOYT BEEBEE, OF ASTORIA, NEW YORK.

MARBLE POOLA AND BILLIARDS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed April 8, 1911.

Patented Aug. 29, 1911.

Serial No. 619,893.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HoYT BEEBEE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Astoria, Long Island, in the county of Queens and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Marble Pool and Billiards, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings, forming part thereof.

My invention relates to combination pool and billiard apparatus, particularly to small, portable apparatus or game boards adapted for home use and for the amusement of children.

My invention aims to provide a simple and inexpensive apparatus which will provide for playing these games in substantially the same manner as on the large and expensive pool tables and billiard tables.

Other objects and advantages of my invention will appear from the following description.

I shall now describe the embodiment of my invention shown in the accompanying drawings and shall thereafter point out my invention in claims.

Figure l is a plan view of a game board embodying my invention and adjusted for playing pool. Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the same. Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 1 showing the game board adjusted for billiards.

My invention is particularly adapted for embodiment in a small game board on which childrens marbles may be used as balls and which is designed to re'st upon a table or stand and which is suitable for the use of children, and my invention is shown as thus embodied. A single flat board 1, preferably of wood, is covered in the parts thereof on which the balls roll in the playing of the games, with a suitable playing cloth 10. The upper face of this board is recessed or hollowed out at six points to form ball receiving pockets 2 corresponding in position relatively to the playing surface of the board to the usual pockets of a pool table. These pockets do not extend through the board, but are deep enough to properly receive a single ball, and lead into inclined recesses or runs 8, one for each pocket, so that when a ball enters a pocket it will roll by gravity to the end of the communicating recess, leaving the pocket free t-o receive another ball, but being nevertheless segregated from the balls which have entered other pockets. 'The runs are open at the top so that the balls may be readily taken out of them as desired.

For assembling the balls pock-eted by each player, I provide segregating depressions or channels in the table and, as shown, they consist of four transverse grooves it, two at each end of the table, formed in the face of the table. This provides self contained means for keeping count of the balls pocketed by each player without the use of the wall racks now usually provided.

In order to bound the pla-ying table and to provide suitable boundary cushions, I employ a plurality of elastic, preferably rubber, bands 5 stretched over pins or headed posts 6 inserted in the face of the table. At each pocket there are four posts G, two at each side of the pocket and for playing pool the elastic bands are looped over the outermost posts and both thicknesses of the band passed inwardly partly around and front of the inner posts, so that each band is stretched straight from one pocket to the next adjacent pocket and at its ends extends obliquely to bound the passages to the pockets like the usual cushions of a pool table. This arrangement for pool is shown in Figs. l and 2.

In adjusting for billiards, one of the bands 5 is stretched or a longer elastic band 7 is provided so as to extend from one of the inner posts 6 of a corner pocket to an inner post of the opposite corner pocket, the inner posts of the intervening side pocket serving merely as back supports to prevent too great yielding of this side cushion. The end cushions are provided by two of the elastic bands 5 looped over the outer posts 6 adjacent to the inner posts 6 over which the ends of the side cushion bands are looped. Thus a rectangular or bounding line of cushions is provided entirely clear of the pockets, with corners suiiiciently closed to retain the balls.

To prevent the balls from jumping, suitable backs are provided on the board, one for each pocket. These backs consist of elastic bands 8, which need not be flat bands, stretched over posts or pins 9 suitably ar ranged around the back of each of the pockets vin the line of the passage delined by the bands 5 at the entrance to each pocket.

To enable the players to readily level the board, screw-legs l1 are provided at each corner, which may be screwed in or out and thus lower or raise each corner of the board independently.

By the employment of flat rubber bands of substantial width to form the cushions of a game board of this character, I have provided a simple, cheap and highly elfective substitute for the expensive rubber cushions heretofore employed. These rubber bands extend down quite close to the table and eX- tend upward a substantial distance and are preferably so placed that the balls strike initially at about the middle lines of the flat faces of the bands.

It is obvious that various modifications may be made in the construction shown and above particularly described within the principle and scope of my invention.

I claim:

l. A pool apparatus comprising, in combination with suitable cushions, a bed having a plurality of pockets formed therein and a plurality of open inclined runs, one for each pocket, each run communicating with its pocket.

2. A pool apparatus comprising a bed having a plurality of pockets formed therein and a plurality of open inclined runs, one for each pocket, each run communicating with its pocket, a plurality of posts suitably disposed on the bed, and flat elastic bands stretched ovei` the posts and adapted to serve as boundary cushions.

3. A pool apparatus comprising` a bed member having a plurality of pockets formed therein and a plurality of open inclined runs, one for each pocket, each run communicating with its pocket, a plurality of posts suitably disposed on the bed, flat elastic bands stretched over some of the posts and arranged to serve as boundary cushions between the pockets and to define passages leading to the pockets, and pocketbacking bands stretched over others of the posts back of the pockets.

4. A pool apparatus comprising a bed member having a plurality of ball-segregating channels formed therein, a plurality of pockets and a plurality of open inclined runs for the pockets and communicating therewith a plurality of posts suitably disposed on the bed member, and flat elastic bands stretched over the posts and adapted to serve as boundary cushions.

5. A pool apparatus comprising a bed member having a plurality of ball-segregating channels formed therein, a plurality of pockets and 'a plurality of open inclined runs for the pockets and communicating therewith a plurality of posts suitably disposed on a bed member, flat elastic bands stretched over some of the posts and arranged to serve as boundary cushions between the pockets and to dene passages leading to the pockets, and pocket-backing bands stretched over others of the posts back of the pockets.

In testimony whereof I have afliXed my signature in presence of two witnesses.

HOY'I BEEBEE.

Witnesses:

VICTOR D. BoRsT, IVM. ASHLEY KELLY.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C. 

